These Potato Soup Recipes Are Delicious Any Time Of Year—But Especially Comforting For Cool Weather

It's a potato party!

<p>Greg DuPree, Food Stylist: Emily Nabors Hall, Prop Stylist: Christine Keely</p>

Greg DuPree, Food Stylist: Emily Nabors Hall, Prop Stylist: Christine Keely

A thick and creamy potato soup is just the dish you're looking for on a dark and cozy evening, so we've collected 18 of our favorite potato soup recipes to ensure you can make the perfect meal for a chilly day, or any occasion. We have delicious and comforting potato soup recipes that pile on our favorite baked potato toppings or provide some spicy heat. Many include filling ingredients like ham hocks, bacon, or cheese, plus the savory flavors of celery and onions. Most of these soups feature the standard baking potato, but we've got savory sweet potato soups for you too. The potato plays the starring role in some recipes, while it adds starchy texture and heartiness to others.

Loaded Potato Soup

<p>Victor Protasio; Food Stylist: Karen Rankin; Prop Stylist: Claire Spollen</p>

Victor Protasio; Food Stylist: Karen Rankin; Prop Stylist: Claire Spollen

Those who like it creamy will be supremely satisfied with this potato soup blended with a pint of half-and-half plus chicken broth. This slow-cooker recipe cooks the potatoes until they are so soft, you only need a masher to blend them.

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Sweet Potato-Carrot Soup

Greg DuPree; Food Styling: Rishon Hanners; Prop Styling: Prissy Lee Montiel
Greg DuPree; Food Styling: Rishon Hanners; Prop Styling: Prissy Lee Montiel

This wonderful soup pairs the subtle sweetness of root vegetables with the savory flavors of onion, celery, and cumin. After cooking until very tender, blend the soup with an immersion blender. Add a pretty swirl of Greek yogurt or garnish with roasted pumpkin seeds. Also pictured: an incredible potato-beet version of this recipe.

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Ham And Potato Soup

<p>Caitlin Bensel, Food Stylist: Torie Cox</p>

Caitlin Bensel, Food Stylist: Torie Cox

Combine leftover ham with onion, carrots, celery, and of course Russet potatoes for a comforting and special bowl of soup. This easy recipe was created with leftover ham in mind, but you can also buy ham just for the dish.

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Potato Leek Soup

<p>Caitlin Bensel; Food Styling: Torie Cox</p>

Caitlin Bensel; Food Styling: Torie Cox

This recipe proves you don't need a lot of ingredients to create something delicious. A few herbs and spices give this simple potatoes, leeks, and celery soup all the flavor it needs.

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Instant Pot Creamy Root Vegetable Soup

Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Rishon Hanners; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis
Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Rishon Hanners; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis

Flavorful root vegetables ensure this is not your average potato soup. In your trusty instant pot, sweet potatoes, carrots, and parsnips come together with red curry powder for a hearty and healthy meal. Serve it dressed up with a drizzle of maple syrup-yogurt sauce and crunchy pistachios.

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Creamy Potato-And-Ham Hock Slow-Cooker Soup

Jennifer Causey; Prop Styling: Ginny Branch Stelling; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall
Jennifer Causey; Prop Styling: Ginny Branch Stelling; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall

While all the ingredients sit in the slow cooker together, the potatoes in this soup soak up each element, especially the ham, so every bite is a full-flavored one. With heavy cream, chunky pieces of potato, and a ham hock, this soup makes a filling meal on its own. Add a dash of hot sauce and spiced chives for some heat.

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Broccoli-Cheddar Soup

<p>Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox</p>

Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox

This may just be our favorite way to eat our broccoli: blended with cheddar cheese and diced potatoes. We've added chopped onions, garlic, and carrot for even more color and flavor. Best of all, this soup only takes 30 minutes before dinner is on the table.

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Potato, Leek, And Roasted Garlic Soup

<p>Greg DuPree, Food Stylist: Emily Nabors Hall, Prop Stylist: Christine Keely</p>

Greg DuPree, Food Stylist: Emily Nabors Hall, Prop Stylist: Christine Keely

Don't be alarmed when you see mayonnaise on the ingredient list. As it turns out, the condiment is the perfect way to create the ultimately creamy soup without the heaviness of using cream.

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Slow Cooker Vegetable Soup With Bacon

Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Christine Keely; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall
Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Christine Keely; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall

Yukon gold potatoes, beans, and bacon make this soup a hearty meal as well as a healthy one. With this veggie-packed recipe, you have the option of substituting collards for kale or trying any number of dried beans. And because it's made in a slow cooker, you don't have to stand over the stove stirring it for hours.

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Cheesy Potato Soup with Bacon

Greg DuPree; Prop Styling: Christina Lane; Food Styling: Torie Cox
Greg DuPree; Prop Styling: Christina Lane; Food Styling: Torie Cox

Looking for a comforting dish that does it all? Look no further. This recipe feeds a crowd, comes together in one pot, is ready in under an hour, and freezes well. Garnish with extra cheese, bacon, and scallions when serving.

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Chicken, Sweet Potato, And Corn Slow-Cooker Chowder

Jennifer Causey; Prop Styling: Ginny Branch Stelling; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall
Jennifer Causey; Prop Styling: Ginny Branch Stelling; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall

This chicken chowder is anything but bland. Sweet potato, red and yellow bell peppers, and corn add vivid color and flavor. You can use boneless chicken breasts, but we recommend bone-in for juicy, tender meat. Pour on the hot sauce when you serve it for Southwest flair.

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Instant Pot Potato Soup

Caitlin Bensel; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis; Food Styling: Rishon Hanners
Caitlin Bensel; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis; Food Styling: Rishon Hanners

Have dinner on the table in less than an hour thanks to this filling dish. With only 15 minutes of hands-on time, you can kick your feet up and let the instant pot do the rest of the work.

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Sweet Potato Soup

<p>Greg DuPree</p>

Greg DuPree

The more the merrier! We're pulling double potato duty here with Yukon Gold and sweet potatoes. For a little extra nutrition and flavor, we added carrots along with a a handful of warm spices.

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Cheeseburger Soup

Photographer Victor Protasio, Food Stylist Rishon Hanners, Prop Stylist Sarah Elizabeth Cleveland
Photographer Victor Protasio, Food Stylist Rishon Hanners, Prop Stylist Sarah Elizabeth Cleveland

Cheeseburgers and fries go hand in hand, so we made sure to use a potato base for this kid-friendly, ground beef soup. For the full flavor profile, top it off with sesame seed bun croutons, diced tomatoes, and pickles to your liking.

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Baked Potato Soup

Jennifer Davick
Jennifer Davick

This thick and creamy soup is like a baked potato in a bowl, but better. Once you've got your potatoes peeled and onions sautéed, all that's left is stirring in the remaining ingredients and letting it simmer. Then pile on your favorite baked potato toppings: bacon, cheddar cheese, and sliced green onions.

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Peppered Beef Soup

Southern Living
Southern Living

This soup features a beefy mix of sirloin tip, red onion, garlic, baking potatoes, and baby carrots. The roast and vegetables simmer in bottled beer, balsamic vinegar, and Worcestershire sauce in a slow cooker until the roast has soaked up all the flavors and is fall-apart tender. For an even more indulgent meal, serve in toasted bread bowls.

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Creamy Turnip Soup

Hector Manuel Sanchez
Hector Manuel Sanchez

With raving reviews, this turnip soup uses potatoes to thicken it and ensure it's extra creamy for a hearty winter meal. Garlic, thyme, and chicken stock add a depth of flavor while bacon bits lend a crispy finish.

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Vegetable Beef Soup

Jennifer Davick
Jennifer Davick

This easy vegetable beef soup recipe combines beef stew meat with frozen vegetables to create a filling meal the whole family will enjoy. After just 15 minutes of prep time, throw all of the ingredients into your trusty Dutch oven to simmer until the potatoes are tender, about an hour.

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Read the original article on Southern Living.